JEDDAH
\nHamad Medjedovic upset top-seeded Arthur Fils 3-4 (6\/8), 4-1, 4-2, 3-4 (9\/11), 4-1 to win the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah on Saturday.
\nAt No.110 in the world, Medjedovic became the lowest-ranked champion in the six-year history of the 21-and-under tournament as well as the first Serbian to lift the Next Gen Finals trophy.
\nHaving gone undefeated through the group stage before storming to the title, Medjedovic has received $514,000 for winning the event, which is nearly $100,000 higher than his entire career prize money earnings.
\nHis triumph comes just two weeks after his mentor and compatriot Novak Djokovic lifted a record seventh ATP Finals trophy in Turin. \u201cIt\u2019s a nice thing obviously.
\nThe two of us from Serbia, he\u2019s winning the big Masters I would say, the real one, and I\u2019m winning the Next Gen, obviously it\u2019s a huge thing and I\u2019m really happy to follow his footsteps in some way,\u201d said Medjedovic, who threw himself to the ground in disbelief after converting his third championship point.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a very special feeling. I couldn\u2019t believe it, I still don\u2019t believe it. It\u2019s going to give me for sure a lot of confidence for 2024. Obviously Arthur is an amazing player. Rankings-wise he\u2019s much better than me, he\u2019s top-40 for a reason, he\u2019s very good. I\u2019m just really happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fils, a leading candidate for the ATP Newcomer of the Year award, has enjoyed a banner 2023, which saw the French teenager rise from 251 in the world at the start of the year to a current career-high of 36.<\/p>\n
There was no Cristiano Ronaldo \u2018Siu\u2019 celebration for the 19-year-old on Saturday – as he had done after every victory in Jeddah – but Fils has plenty to be excited about, especially as he heads to Kuwait next week for a training block with 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, who is plotting his return to the tour following a year-long injury hiatus.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s amazing. I will practise during one week or two with Rafael Nadal so I\u2019m very happy. I will enjoy every time on the court with him and I will try my best to play with him and to learn from him,\u201d said Fils.<\/p>\n
Medjedovic entered the final with a tournament-leading 50 aces struck through four matches and Fils knew he had to make an early statement on serve to send a strong message to his opponent.<\/p>\n
Three aces from Fils in the opening game of the contest set the tone for what was to come as the duo combined for a total of 13 aces in the first frame, which the Frenchman took after saving two set points in the tiebreak.<\/p>\n
A frustrated Medjedovic destroyed his racquet after squandering those two opportunities and took a toilet break between sets to change his clothes and calm down. It did the trick as the 20-year-old Serb broke early in the second set en route to a 3-0 advantage and he levelled the final at one-set all on the 53-minute mark.<\/p>\n
Medjedovic leapt to a 2-0 lead in the third set, and had dropped just nine points in total since smashing his racquet after losing the opening frame. Momentum clearly on his side, the Viktor Troicki-coached youngster seemed unstoppable as he took the third set in just 20 minutes, without dropping a single point on serve.<\/p>\n
A stunning stop volley from Fils earned him a pair of break points at 2-1 in the fourth but Medjedovic saved both for a clutch hold. Fils upped his game as he forced a tiebreak and saved two championship points before snatching the set on his third opportunity to take the final into a deciding fifth.<\/p>\n
Medjedovic again walked off court for a toilet break and found his range upon return, breaking Fils\u2019 serve to carve a 3-0 gap. It was all he needed to regain control of the contest and he sealed the deal with his 19th ace.<\/p>\n
The Next Gen Finals is the first ATP-sanctioned tournament to be held in Saudi Arabia, with Jeddah set to host the event through 2027.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
JEDDAH Hamad Medjedovic upset top-seeded Arthur Fils 3-4 (6\/8), 4-1, 4-2, 3-4 (9\/11), 4-1 to win the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah on Saturday. At No.110 in the world, Medjedovic became the lowest-ranked champion in the six-year history of the 21-and-under tournament as well as the first Serbian to lift the Next Gen Finals […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":237192,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-372117","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n